March 29, 2017

It’s time to lace up your sneakers and hit the pavement! Texas Children’s and the Houston Marathon Foundation Family Fun Run are hosting the inaugural family fun run event this year in The Woodlands. Registration is open but spots are filling up fast. So, sign up today to guarantee a spot for you and your family.

The Family Fun Run event at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands will be on Saturday, April 29. The event will offer a 1-mile course and will be in celebration of the April 11 grand opening of the new hospital. Post-race activities will follow until 11 a.m.

Registration for the The Woodlands Family Fun Run will close at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 17 or whenever we reach our maximum event capacity of 1,500 runners. Click here to register.

Participants – including those who need walkers and wheelchairs – are welcome. There will not be prizes given to top finishers as all participants will receive an award for taking part in an event designed to educate and encourage Houston-area families to adopt active, healthy lifestyles.

Additional information, including training guides, a video from last year’s event and volunteer opportunities can be found here.

Good luck and happy running!

March 21, 2017

Howdy, the mascot for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, paid a visit on March 15 to several patients on the 12th and 21st floors of West Tower.

The mascot brought several smiles to the faces of the children, many of whom will be unable to attend the livestock show and rodeo this year.

The visit was a chance for the children and their families to get a small taste of an event that draws more than 2 million visitors from across the globe to Houston’s NRG Stadium each year.

Click here to learn more about the event, which concludes on Sunday, March 26.

March 10, 2017

Several patients and their families recently received a surprise visit from an intimate group of community members who came to the hospital offering gifts, support and smiles.

On March 7, Karen Costa, Davis Sprague and Leah Walker with RSM US LLP, a tax, audit and consulting firm, popped in various inpatient rooms on West Tower toting 100 care packages filled with toiletry items for patient families and two decorative jars full of inspirational messages for nurses.

The visit was part of one of the firm’s culture, diversity and inclusion groups called the Star Women’s Network (STAR), which Costa leads. STAR’s mission is to exercise and promote stewardship and teamwork resulting in the advancement and retention of RMS’s women. The group has concentrated its stewardship effort on activities that benefit Texas Children’s.

Their recent work was greatly appreciated by patients, families, staff and Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, who met with the group before they went to patients’ rooms.

“It is so nice for you all to come out and do this,” Wallace said. “Thank you so much. It means a lot.”

Ashley Carranza, a staff nurse in hematology-oncology, was tending to Lilly, a 5-year-old patient, when the RSM group stopped by and gave the little girl’s grandmother a care package and Lilly a hug and a card containing a hand-written supportive message.

“Visits like these mean the world to our patients and families,” Carranza said while watching Lilly beam with excitement. “It truly brightens their day.”

The notes the RSM group wrote specifically for Carranza and her colleagues also were well received.

“It’s so nice that someone has taken the time to think of us too,” Carranza said.

Crystal Ortiz with Volunteer Services echoed Carranza and Wallace’s comments and added that small gestures such as these make a big difference and provide some much-needed relief during what can be a tough time.

March 7, 2017

Hundreds of children recently gathered with hospital staff on The Auxiliary Bridge of Texas Children’s Hospital and outside the main entrance of Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus to participate in one of the medical system’s most popular events – the annual teddy bear clinic.

During the clinic, children are given the opportunity to act out the roles of various health care staff such as doctors, nurses, therapists and technicians. Children pretend to perform a variety of tests, exams and therapies to diagnosis their Teddy bear’s symptoms and heal its body.

Hosted by Child Life to celebrate national Child Life Week, the event celebrates our patients and families and how the intimate world of play is used to encourage children’s learning and support children’s coping.

February 28, 2017

Twenty years ago, a young girl named Gracie was treated for leukemia at Texas Children’s Hospital. Despite the difficult circumstances her own family was facing, support from extended family and friends empowered Gracie’s parents to have the eyes to see beyond their own situation. Within the walls of Texas Children’s Hospital and the compassionate, creative mind of Erin Kiltz, Gracie’s mother, the idea for a foundation that would bring comfort to people going through similar situations was born.

His Grace Foundation began its work on Valentine’s Day in 1997 by serving a gourmet, family style meal to the caregivers on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. This “touch of home” type of service was inspired by the support the Kiltz family received during Gracie’s time at Texas Children’s Hospital, and the realization that their strong support system was not the norm.

Today, His Grace Foundation focuses its efforts on providing physical, emotional and financial support to patients and families on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, ensuring a legacy of hope and care for patients and caregivers alike.

“His Grace Foundation exists to help ease the multitude of stressors faced by families with children on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of Texas Children’s Hospital,” said His Grace Foundation Executive Director Val Anderson. “We want families to be able to focus on supporting their child during the crucial treatment and recovery period.”

Some of the services offered by the foundation include: emergency funding, educational support and scholarships, arts in medicine programming, massage therapy, holiday and birthday celebrations, and temporary housing while families are required to maintain close proximity to the hospital. Additional services include a personalized gift basket that is given to patients when they arrive on the unit, necessities for family members, free parking for patient families, several monthly catered meals and weekly shopping runs.

Richard Daphne, whose daughter spent about 14 months on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, said His Grace Foundation is “wonderful in so many ways.”

In addition to providing him and his wife with housing during a bulk of the time the couple was in Houston for their daughter’s care, His Grace Foundation staff and volunteers made numerous shopping runs, purchasing necessities and items their daughter simply wanted such as fuzzy socks and soft blankets. Staff and volunteers also supplied the family with plenty of smiles and hugs.

“They brought a bright spot into what was a pretty dark time,” Daphne said. “You can tell they really love what they do.”

Child Life Specialist Regina Burdett has worked on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit for the past four years and has developed a deep appreciation for the services His Grace Foundation offers patients and families.

“The things they do go a long way,” Burdett said. “They provide things families don’t realize they need, including a fresh, friendly face and some social interaction from someone off the unit that they don’t encounter every day.”

Staff and volunteers with His Grace Foundation celebrated their 20th anniversary by doing what they do best – serving the families on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Throughout the day, staff and volunteers served meals, distributed goodie bags, provided massages and spread good cheer to some of those at the hospital who need it the most.

To learn more about His Grace Foundation or offer support click here. To learn more about Texas Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant program click here.

February 14, 2017

Texas Children’s therapy dog Elsa is almost two years old and she sure knows how to warm patients’ hearts on Valentine’s Day.

Wearing a bright red heart-shaped necklace, Elsa and her handler, Sarah Herbek, were busy making their rounds on the inpatient floors of West Tower bringing plenty of smiles to children’s faces.

“Knock, knock, Elsa is here delivering Valentine’s,” Herbek said as she and Elsa visited 6-year-old Texas Children’s patient Abigail Arias in her hospital room.

“She is so beautiful,” Abigail said, as Elsa surprised her with a pink heart-shaped Valentine’s Day card while Abigail’s parents, grandparents and brother looked on with excitement.

Making these special deliveries to patient families was enjoyable for Elsa too. With every card delivery, she received a reward – whether it was a hug, a pet on the head, a tummy rub or a few treats from her handler.

Christian Edmonds is grateful to Texas Children’s for allowing a therapy dog to visit patients, like his 7-year-old daughter Isabel, who is an oncology patient here. Having Elsa drop by made her day extra special.

“Isabel really likes dogs and having someone bring Elsa to visit her, really helped to break up the monotony of being in a hospital room all day,” Edmonds said. “This was very special to Isabel.”

The cards that Elsa delivered were made by Girl Scout troops and schools from elementary to college levels. Several Texas Children’s departments – The Central Business Office and Social Workers – made several as well.

January 24, 2017

12517MLKholiday640In an email announcement Monday morning, Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace shared exciting news: beginning in 2018, Texas Children’s will observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an organizational holiday.

This holiday is a new holiday and will be added to all of the holidays employees currently enjoy as a benefit of working at Texas Children’s – employees will not lose My Day or any other holiday. Here is Mr. Wallace’s announcement in its entirety:

Dear Texas Children’s Family,

I am very pleased to share something with you that I have been considering for quite some time now. Beginning in 2018, Texas Children’s will observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an organizational holiday.

I often think about the beliefs and work of Dr. King and how closely aligned they are with the mission of Texas Children’s. Our organization is one that, since its inception nearly 63 years ago, has prided itself in the rich diversity of our culture and the families we serve. We, like Dr. King, embrace inclusiveness and greatly appreciate working in an organization that values all ideas and aspirations, working together for the greater good. Simply put, this is right for our organization. In addition, this makes sense for us operationally, as our partners at Baylor College of Medicine observe the MLK Day holiday.

While you likely understand the sentiment, you might naturally wonder, “Why now?” I want you to understand that while the announcement is occurring today, this has long been on my heart and mind. In fact, we were considering adding MLK Day as an organizational holiday many years ago. However, we also had to consider whether we would subsequently add other observations. Ultimately, we determined that providing employees with the My Day PTO day would allow all to observe MLK Day or, alternately, another special day that may be personally important to them. I sincerely believe that was a good thing for our employees, but I admit to you that I think so many years have passed that the impetus for My Day has been lost.

I also admit to you that the nation’s racial climate in recent years stirs me. America has always been considered a melting pot, but we are now growing increasingly more diverse at a much more rapid pace than most people have ever experienced. We, as a nation, are learning how to redefine our country, but not without growing pains. Yet, in the midst of this, I see how we at Texas Children’s use our differences to make us better. The brilliant tapestry of our cultures, religions, races and genders is woven perfectly with our collective talents, gifts and aspirations. This is beautiful, and it is worth celebrating on the day that salutes the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I hope you will join me in my excitement and look forward to enjoying this special day of reflection for years to come.

Regards,

Mark